Carbondale News Summary – July 2014

CARBONDALE NEWS SUMMARY – JULY 2014

New Lodging, Distillery, Arts Programs, Bike Parks, All Set To Enhance The Carbondale Visitor Experience

CARBONDALE, Colo. (July 29, 2014) – Carbondale sits at the foot of the mighty Mt. Sopris, surrounded by lush ranching land, positioned at the confluence of the Crystal and Roaring Fork Rivers. The town is renowned as Colorado’s Base Camp for Adventure- a place where all mountain activities are literally accessed from the doorstep- including mountain and road biking, trail running and hiking, fly-fishing, kayaking and rafting, climbing, cross country skiing and ice climbing. Visitors are drawn to the town’s casual vibe, influenced ranching history and biking culture. Carbondale is also becoming known for its liquid and food arts, with many new offerings making the town a major stop-off for food and drink aficionados. Growing public art programs and a new arts center put the spotlight on the creative energy of the town while rounding out the visitor experience of this well-loved destination, and providing more diverse experience appealing for weekend visitors from Denver and across the State. For more information and a complete calendar of events, visit www.carbondale.com or call 970-963-1890.

NEW HOTEL AND DISTILLERY TO OPEN!

Carbondale to Welcome New Hotel Lodging And Craft Distillery

Adding to the vitality of downtown Carbondale, Marble Distilling Company is building a family owned and operated craft distillery, tasting room, and luxury boutique Inn on the east end of Main Street. Construction on an innovative, energy efficient building is slated for completion December, 2014. Marble Distilling Company’s handcrafted, artisan spirits will include Vodka, Gin, Liqueurs, and Whiskeys being barreled for future release. Their small batch spirits will be pot distilled using Colorado grown grains and pure Crystal River spring water using 100% American made distilling equipment. A 250 gallon copper pot still made by Vendome Copper & Brassworks will be showcased in a steel tower fronting Main Street. MDC will utilize handmade, open cypress fermenters similar to the finest, old world Whiskey producers.The hip Tasting Room will feature a Marble bar cut from a single slab of Yule Quarry Marble from just up the road in Marble, CO – the very same stone found at the Lincoln Memorial. With two patios overlooking Main Street, there is plenty of room to relax in front of the outdoor fireplace with a specialty cocktail after touring the distillery. A Whiskey Club will house “baby barrels” and provide special offerings for members.

Guests will enjoy contemporary luxury at The Distillery Inn in the heart of downtown Carbondale. Five King sized rooms boast hand-selected sustainable materials, sophisticated finishes and elegant Fili D’Oro Italian linens. Luxurious bathrobes, slippers and bath amenities by Colorado based Ranch Organics compliment the oversized bathrooms. All rooms offer a fireplace and private balcony with breath-taking views of Mt. Sopris, while the garden level room offers a private courtyard with outdoor fireplace, fabulous for nighttime stargazing. After enjoying the many area activities, relax while sipping a Marble Distilling Co. original cocktail on your balcony before strolling to a nearby restaurant. Other amenities will include flat-screen TV’s, iPod docking stations, Keurig brewers and a personalized mini bar.

CARBONDALE’S NEW LIQUID AND FOOD ARTS

Carbondale Soda Co. Launches!

New to town is the locally crafted Carbondale Soda Company, offering old-fashioned style sodas made from local ingredients. The company launched a delivery service in June 2014, and is now being featured at a number of local restaurants and bars. Flavors rotate on a monthly basis with July including raspberry-honey, burdock root beer, dandelion cream, ginger melon, maple bacon, cherry cream, cucumber lemon and Fatali ginger. The company’s tagline is “taste the seasons” with the idea to rotate flavors every few months in order to use seasonal and local ingredients. Locals can have one or two liter bottles delivered on a weekly basis, from $21. Outlets include Whitehouse Pizza, the Roaring Fork Beer Company tasting room.

New! Roaring Fork Beer Company Opens Doors To Brewery & Tasting Room

Earlier in the spring of 2014, Roaring Fork Beer Company opened doors on its brewery, bringing a second beer maker to the town. Aeady RFB’s beers are being sold throughout the state, with the Slaughterhouse Lager becoming the number one favorite local brew for the summer. RFB also have a tasting room located at Dolores Way, Carbondale, open daily from 5-10pm, with food trucks and live music every weekend.

Carbondale Roastery To Be Featured Coffee at New Aspen Art MuseumCarbondale’s very own Rock Canyon Coffee Co is the featured coffee at the soon-to-open new Aspen Art Museum. Rock Canyon Coffee Co opened in 2012 and is the only independent coffee roaster in the Roaring Fork Valley. The coffee is served at outlets inkling Carbondale’s Farmer’s Market, The Blend, as well as hotels and restaurants from Aspen to Glenwood Springs. The roastery uses beans from all over the world- season-dependent with Africa coffee usually popular.

NEW PUBLIC ARTS VENTURES

Carbondale Selected As A Candidate for Colorado Creative Districts

Carbondale has been selected as a candidate to participate in the State of Colorado’s Creative District programs, led by Colorado Creative Industries, a division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. Carbondale is one of seven towns that will receive funding and consulting support from the CCI to develop everything from branding, signage and planning. The town’s efforts to make the shortlist was spearheaded by the Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities, which worked on a creative plan last year that will eventually be implemented to brand the district and highlight creative and arts industries in the town. This will include culinary, healing arts, designers, publishing and marketing, as well as traditional crafts and art. The designated “district” takes in the area of town south of the Rio Grande Trail, and up Third Street to include the Third Street Center, where several art galleries, dance and performing arts venues are located. The historic Thompson House, which was recently acquired by the town and is open for tours led by the Mount Sopris Historical Society, is also included in the district. CCHA celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, and produces the town’s annual Carbondale Mountain Fair Arts Festival, held every July.

New Arts Center Opens Doors

The Powers Art Center officially opened to the public on July 7, 2014, with a mission to teach the public about contemporary and pop art through exhibitions. The center launches to showcase an entire collection of Jasper Johns work on paper. The Powers Art Center was created in memory of the life and passion of John G Powers, a prominent art collector and former director of the Aspen Art Museum. Powers and his wife, Kimiko, were deeply involved in the contemporary art world and created one of the most influential privately held pop art collections known. The exhibition of Jasper Johns’ limited edition on paper includes images and objects from popular culture and classical iconography. From 300 works, 100 will feature in each rotating exhibition. The building that houses the Powers Arts Center is located in Carbondale, among a ranch setting that exemplifies the rural Colorado environment. The building itself is a new 15,000 square foot facility with state of the art solar electronic generation and geothermal heating and cooling.

New Public Arts Across Town

Carbondale Public Arts Commission has launched Art Around Town, an annual rotating sculpture exhibit throughout downtown Carbondale featuring sculptors from around Colorado and across the country. This season’s exhibits are now in place featuring interactive works, which make for a fun art-walk. Coming later this fall is the Carbondale Roundabout Sculpture by James Surls. Internationally renowned artist James Surls has named his sculpture for the new Carbondale Roundabout “Sewing The Future.” This sculpture will have iconic elements from his alphabet of imagery. It will stand about 20 feet high, on a 5-7 foot base, on a landscaped and lighted spot in the center of the reworked 133 and Main intersection. The conception and execution of the work will be Surls’s gift to Carbondale, his home.

NEW BIKE PARKS AND ROADWAYS

Coming Soon! New Bike Park for Carbondale.

Carbondale is already well known for having the first cruiser ride of the Roaring Fork Valley and its grassroots mountain biking scene, the town’s biking culture is about to expand in dimension with a new bike park, set to open in September. The $95,000 park will be located at the North Face Park in South Carbondale. DirtSculpt, a Pennsylvania-based company that builds dirt jumps and tracks for professional-level cycling competitions, is constructing the park that will include a mountain bike skills “flow line” that switchbacks down the hillside above the site, a large pump track for beginner and intermediate riders, and beginner and intermediate/advanced dirt jumps. Carbondale is additionally recognized as a Bronze-level “Bicycle Friendly Community” by the National League of American Cyclists and will apply for Silver status before the end of summer.

West Elk Loop Designated as a Colorado Scenic Byway

Colorado’s Scenic and Historic Byways program is celebrating 25 years of service to tourists and the states economy by designating routes that provide exceptional scenic, historical, cultural and recreational opportunities. The state’s 25 Scenic and Historic Byways all function independently and each one offers the traveler a unique “Centennial State” experience. The West Elk Loop(Carbondale/Crested Butte/Paonia/Gunnison) travels through the North Fork Valley, a region synonymous with farm-fresh cherries and apples. Skirts the North Rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and includes Crested Butte, famous for its preserved Victorian architecture.

CARBONDALE EVENTS

5Point On The Road Open-Air Screening

Carbondale’s world-renowned adventure film festival 5Point Film Festival comes to town this Fall, for 5Point On The Road, an exclusive open-air screening Friday September 12, 2014, starting at dusk to 10pm. Tickets are $5 for adults, free for children under 12. The program will include 5Point’s favorite short films from the latest festival as well as some new films and show them under the stars. These films span across all outdoor, adventure film, but all are hand picked to get your heart pumping, mind engaged, and self inspired to pursue your own passions, whatever those may be. Every program, however, is designed to fit and properly celebrate each unique community. Film fans are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and some local food; 5Point will provide the Sierra Nevada brews.

National Sheep Dog Trails Comes to Carbondale

The 2014 National Sheepdog Finals of the USBCHA (United States Border Collie Handlers Association) are coming to Carbondale for the first time. The event is a first-rate herding competition and will showcase land conservation, stewardship and the region’s ranching heritage.

Carbondale’s Annual Potato Day Festival- September 27, 2014

Potato Day has been celebrated nearly every year in Carbondale since 1909. Potatoes were the primary cash crop throughout the middle Roaring Fork Valley from around the turn of the 20th Century until the 1950s. The festival- held in Sopris Park consists of a huge community BBQ and fun activities such as potato sack racing- has continued on in the years since as a tribute to that era. Unlike the big summertime festivals, such as Mountain Fair and Strawberry Days in Glenwood Springs, Potato Day is a low-key affair. Local farming and ranching families kept the festival alive through the years, even after the decline of potato farming. The tradition nearly came to an end in the early 1990s, until the sororities agreed to take over organizing the event. Today, the festival still brings together a lot of Carbondale’s old timers, many of whom have ties to the potato-growing days.